Table 6: Farmers’ current and future (within three years) use of technology.
|
______All farms_____ |
Confinement |
Moderate Grazer |
Intensive Grazer | |||||
|
Current |
Future |
Current |
Future |
Current |
Future |
Current |
Future | |
|
— |
------------- |
-%----------- |
------------- |
— | ||||
|
Milking parlor |
---- 94 |
92 |
96 |
95 |
92 |
88 |
90 |
93 |
|
Auto takeoffs |
71 |
71 |
84 |
83 |
59 |
62 |
51 |
54 |
|
TMR |
56 |
63 |
67 |
73 |
43 |
52 |
49 |
53 |
|
DHIA |
68 |
64 |
76 |
71 |
61 |
58 |
58 |
58 |
|
BsT |
20 |
24 |
26 |
29 |
14 |
18 |
13 |
20 |
|
Written farm plan | ||||||||
|
and/or goals |
26 |
42 |
26 |
42 |
24 |
36 |
36 |
57 |
|
Use computer |
40 |
53 |
40 |
52 |
37 |
51 |
48 |
62 |
|
Written nutrient | ||||||||
|
management plan |
55 |
64 |
60 |
69 |
46 |
56 |
63 |
71 |
FARM OWNERSHIP AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Respondents were asked to provide information on farm ownership, personal characteristics, off-farm
income, and debt. This information was used to provide information on group differences in addition to
production characteristics (Table 7).
Farm ownership
A clear majority (56 percent) of all respondents reported owning their farm business as a sole proprietor
(Table 7). Partnerships comprise 27 percent, followed by farm corporations, 17 percent. Corporate
ownership by Confinement farmers is almost double (22 percent) that Moderate Grazer (13 percent) and
Intensive Grazer (12 percent) farmers. Partnerships account for one-third of farm business ownership
among Intensive Grazer farmers, slightly higher than the other groups.
Age of farmers
The average age of survey respondents is 48 years: 8 years younger than the average farmer in Virginia
(1992 Census of Agriculture). On average, one-quarter of the owners are 40 years or younger and 21
percent of the respondents are more than 60 years old. In all groups, more than half the respondents are
under 50. The 1992 Census of Agriculture, in sharp contrast, reports only 35 percent of Virginia farmers
are under the age of 50. Very little age difference was found between groupings in this survey.
Experience as key decision maker
Respondents were asked to indicate how many years they had been making key management decisions in
their farm businesses. Nearly half the respondents reported more than 21 years experience as the key
decision maker. Moderate Grazer farmers tended to be key decision makers longer than either
Confinement or Intensive Grazer farmers.